The catch is, I'm not planning on buying an Airstream in the immediate future. In the near term, we intend to buy a teardrop or other small travel trailer.

Eventually, we do want to get a vintage 16-18' Airstream, but that's easily 5 years away. Since we tend to keep vehicles for a long time (one is 10 years old right now, the other 15), I don't want to buy something that isn't going to be capable of towing a vintage Airstream of that size.

Oh, one more catch. I'm not willing to buy any vehicle with OnStar or Hyundai's BlueLink or any equivalent remote-control system; I simply don't trust the actual technological safeguards on a networked-remote-control-of-engine-and-locks system.

Right now, I'm leaning towards a Nissan XTerra; is that a horrible idea, or something that would meet both near-term and long-term goals?

If your primary motivation for buying a new vehicle is for towing, I'd wait until you make a final decision on the travel trailer and use one of your current vehicles as temporary tow vehicle (TV), if possible.

If that works, I'd then wait until you actually need a larger TV and get the latest and greatest. In five years, you may be able to buy a 1/2 ton diesel pickup, or the gas versions may get 30-40 mpg.

If you buy a new TV now and don't actually need it, it may sit and age for five years because it is too big and/or gets such poor mileage that it doesn't work well as a daily driver. Or, it may not be suitable to tow your anticipated Airstream, when you actually buy it.

I personally prefer a full-size, crew cab pickup. We have a Tundra; and while it is a large vehicle and gets relatively poor mileage (13-18 mpg around town, 13.5 towing) compared to a modern sedan, it is like a very tall, wide limo. It is luxurious compared to our 2002 Prius, it's a much more comfortable highway cruiser, and it easily tows our 19-foot Bambi and could pull a much larger Airstream.

Personally, the Nissan XTerra would not be a good fit for us. -- All the more reason to wait until you actually need a new TV.

Just my opinion...

As an aside, we drive the Prius almost exclusively while at home, because it gets 45-50+ mpg around town. We use the Tundra strictly for towing and for transporting big stuff that won't fit in the little car. I figure the Tundra burns the gas we save driving the Prius.

Good luck in your search, but I suggest you keep an open mind and possibly consider a larger TV.

If your primary motivation for buying a new vehicle is for towing, I'd wait until you make a final decision on the travel trailer and use one of your current vehicles as temporary tow vehicle (TV), if possible.

If that works, I'd then wait until you actually need a larger TV and get the latest and greatest. In five years, you may be able to buy a 1/2 ton diesel pickup, or the gas versions may get 30-40 mpg.

If you buy a new TV now and don't actually need it, it may sit and age for five years because it is too big and/or gets such poor mileage that it doesn't work well as a daily driver. Or, it may not be suitable to tow your anticipated Airstream, when you actually buy it.

I personally prefer a full-size, crew cab pickup. We have a Tundra; and while it is a large vehicle and gets relatively poor mileage (13-18 mpg around town, 13.5 towing) compared to a modern sedan, it is like a very tall, wide limo. It is luxurious compared to our 2002 Prius, it's a much more comfortable highway cruiser, and it easily tows our 19-foot Bambi and could pull a much larger Airstream.

Personally, the Nissan XTerra would not be a good fit for us. -- All the more reason to wait until you actually need a new TV.

Just my opinion...

As an aside, we drive the Prius almost exclusively while at home, because it gets 45-50+ mpg around town. We use the Tundra strictly for towing and for transporting big stuff that won't fit in the little car. I figure the Tundra burns the gas we save driving the Prius.

Good luck in your search, but I suggest you keep an open mind and possibly consider a larger TV.

The two vehicles we do have are a '98 Chevy S10 (50k miles, RWD, small engine), and an '03 Ford Focus SE (116k miles, FWD, small engine).

I wouldn't trust either one towing even a Teardrop in the mountains. So if we're going to get the Teardrop (which is the plan) we need a new vehicle now. I was just hoping to get one which could also work for a small vintage Airstream later.

Edit: We plan on camping in the State and National Parks in the Pacific Northwest, so we'd like the TV to be "dirt road capable" (although we are unlikely to go off-road), and we'd like the TV/Trailer combo to be reasonable to take on the Washington State Ferries. Also, our actual daily vehicle mileage use is quite low, so low mileage vehicles aren't as painful as they could be.

Honestly, I don't trust either vehicle to tow well; so although that may be a possibility, it isn't really on the top of the list right now.

So, for the sake of argument, if I were to buy a new tow vehicle to tow a Teardrop (900-1250lb weight on most of them, from what I've seen), and would like to not preclude the ability to tow a vintage 16'-18' Airstream at a later date, what should I be looking for?

Honestly, I don't trust either vehicle to tow well; so although that may be a possibility, it isn't really on the top of the list right now.

So, for the sake of argument, if I were to buy a new tow vehicle to tow a Teardrop (900-1250lb weight on most of them, from what I've seen), and would like to not preclude the ability to tow a vintage 16'-18' Airstream at a later date, what should I be looking for?

ok, how about Tacoma or Frontier. 2005 to current, with 4.0L V6, tow package.

18 to 22 mpg unloaded, a guess pulling a teardrop, probably 16 to 18 mpg, and pulling a 16' A/S, about 11 to 15 mpg.

These trucks have a longer wheelbase than a XTerra, which some say is a good thing for towing.

I've mostly been looking at the SUV form factor, partly because we *have* a pickup (albeit one with a fairly weak engine), and partly because I'd like to have more interior storage versus open air storage.

That being said, I'll go look at some of the truck options.

Edit: One of the vehicles I've been looking at is the Ford Escape with the 2.0 liter turbo. They claim 3500lb tow capacity, and it is a nice vehicle when not-towing. Does anyone have any experience and or recommendations on this one?

I went from a full-size Chevy van with a 5.7 V8. It was a good tow rig but I only got 10-12 mpg towing. I now have a 09 Dodge Grand Caravan with a V6. I love it as my tow rig for my 66 Caravel. I have been able to get 17.5 mpg towing and 24 mpg on the hwy not towing. It has plenty of power and the ride is great. A van is great for traveling and camping. They have lots of room to store your gear to keep it dry and safe. The stow-go seats are a real plus.

We tow with a 2012 Pilot- our 19' trailer is 2900 dry, and the towing capacity of the Pilot is 4500. One great thing with the smaller combo is just ease of maneuvering- I can make a u-turn in most gas stations with the trailer. If you wait, the new Pilot is coming out for 2015.